


A Beautiful Day in Three Different Ways

by Phurtershep



Category: OMORI (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Multi, Post-Canon, Split Timelines, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-14 21:41:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29425452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phurtershep/pseuds/Phurtershep
Summary: Sunny visits Faraway during a weekend, Valentine's weekend in specific. He brought a gift for a special someone, but who?(Each chapter is a different "timeline", with the gift and who it's for being different in each. Sunflower, Sunburn, and Suntan.)(All chapters completed)
Relationships: Aubrey/Sunny (OMORI), Basil/Sunny (OMORI), Kel/Sunny (OMORI)
Comments: 36
Kudos: 245





	1. Prologue: The Day Before

Sunny eyed the doors to the train car, steeling himself up. It was just a weekend visit to Faraway. He’d done it a few times already now, including one with his mom for Christmas. It wasn’t scary, so what was he afraid of? 

The answer was simple.

There was just one little date at the end of this weekend, Sunday. The fourteenth.

It was February. 

The bag in his lap felt oddly heavy the more he thought about it, even if he had come prepared with decently nice clothes for the day. The next day. Valentine’s Day. 

As it turns out, being a recluse for four years did nothing to make him better at handling topics of romance, even if it had sometimes entered into his dreams. His mind raced through the possibilities, and on the person he planned on asking.

Daydreaming was still a pastime of his, even now.

Eventually, the train ground to a halt at the station at the edge of Faraway, and Sunny stood up to leave. He slung the bag over his back, following the small stream of people off into the snowy day. Three people were waiting to greet him, since Hero was away at college. Despite the snow and the chill, Sunny gave his best smile and wave (with the wave being admittedly better than the smile).

“You made it!” Kel yelled, stampeding up and crushing Sunny in a hug. 

“Of course he did, he’s made it every other time.” Aubrey said, following behind him and lightly punching Kel in the shoulder. “Good to see you.”   


“Yeah… H-Hey Sunny.” Basil said, joining the trio to the side of the train doors. 

“Let’s get somewhere warm, it’s freezing out here!” Kel said, running off ahead to the station building. The other three followed suit, though slower considering the snow everywhere. Like the last visit, it was toasty inside. 

Kel was already sat down on a bench and unzipping his coat. 

“You know, maybe you’d be less cold if you wore more than a jersey underneath your coat.” Aubrey said as the three walked over to him. Kel replied with only a shrug, patting at the bench for everyone to sit down. Sunny and Basil popped down on either side of him, with Aubrey just leaning on the wall beside it.

“So, any plans?” Sunny said, breaking the silence. 

“Nah, too cold for a lot of the usual stuff.” Aubrey groaned, unzipping her own coat as the heat of the building got to her. 

“Dang, and we went through most of the after christmas stuff last time…” Kel muttered, “Basil, any ideas?”

“Huh? Oh, uh… not really. I was going to Fix-It to help with the flowers, but that’s tomorrow…”

“Oh! Let’s go further into town then, look for something to eat other than Gino’s!” Kell said, sitting up with a resounding clap. 

“Weren’t you freezing a minute ago?”

“Yeah, cuz we were standing still! Besides, Sunny’s here now!”

“That… doesn’t make it not cold.” Sunny reasoned, raising his hands to his shoulders. 

“Nonsense! Let’s go!” he loudly announced, to both his friends and to everyone else present in the station. He dragged Sunny and Basil up with him, zipping up his coat. 

“Beats sticking around in the station I guess.” Aubrey sighed, “Should have brought my bat though.” 

“I think I’m happier that you  _ don’t  _ have it on you.” Sunny said.

“Yeah yeah, whatever.”

“Well… I guess we could just take a longer route to the plaza and see if anything catches our eye.” Basil suggested as they stepped out the doors into the snow, “Unless anyone saw anything interesting on the way up?”

“Nah, wasn’t looking.” Kel said, “Don’t think Aubrey was either.”

“Only cuz you were being annoying the whole way over.” Aubrey grunted, “I would have been.”

“Let’s just zigzag a bit then.” Sunny suggested, “We’ll see more that way.”

“Fine by me!” Kel said, “Let’s go!”

It was nice to see all the portions of Faraway that Sunny didn’t usually get to see. They’d all passed by the main road quite a few times when Sunny visited, but were all usually too engrossed in talking to really pay attention to things until they got back to where they knew. 

It was a new adventure with his friends.

They moved through the town, eventually settling on a small sandwich shop. 

It was small, but certainly not quiet. They took their seats and slowly caught up on what had happened during the last month. Basil had gotten new plants, a batch of carnations for a shelf of his living room, Aubrey had managed to get a softball scholarship (which she metaphorically held over Kel, who still hadn’t gotten a response on his end)

“You know Aubrey, when I first came out I figured the bat was just like… a fashion statement.” Sunny said, “Didn’t figure you were actually a sports type.”

“Nah, my swings come from  _ practice. _ Besides, if I wanted to go to college at all I’d need a scholarship of some kind.”

“I… think the nails would be against most league’s regulations.” Basil muttered.

“Hey, not like you’d be hitting other people with it, I don’t see the issue.” Kel joked, wrapping up the remains of his sandwich for later. 

By now, things were slowly starting to get back to normal. It took a few months, but…

Everyone was coming back together.

Sunny smiled, even if he didn’t voice his thoughts.

In his head, he was planning out tomorrow…

The choice of who to spend it with was already made, considering the gift sitting in his bag, but he should probably pick up something before then too… flowers. Maybe chocolate? 

“Sunny? You there?” Basil said, nudging his arm. Sunny jumped, knocked out of his own thoughts, before nodding. 

Having done most of their talking in the sandwich shop, there wasn’t much to say (at least in public) on the way back. The group split off, with Sunny following Kel to his place to sleep like usual. Without Hero there, his bed was ripe for the taking. 

Sunny went to sleep with someone special on his mind.


	2. Kel Chapter: Flowers for a Handsome Young Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SunTan chapter, of course.

“Dude, wake up! It’s snowing again!” Kel said, shaking Sunny awake.

“Wuz snowin’ wen I gob here…” Sunny muttered sleepily, yawning immediately after.

“Yeah, but the flakes are real big this time!” Kel whooped, all but ripping off his pajamas to change. Sunny felt his face heat up as he looked away. Why did he always insist on going right into the middle of the room to change? After Kel put pants back on, Sunny slipped out of Hero’s bed and changed himself. 

“Guess it’s gonna be cold again,” Sunny sighed, pulling a sweatshirt over his head. 

“I thought you liked the cold.”

“I do, just… not this cold.”

“Heh, fair enough. Can’t pretend winter’s all that great either. Once you’re shoveling snow instead of playing in it, it kinda loses the charm.”

Sunny nodded, closing his eyes to take a big stretch. Both boys meandered their way downstairs, where a cooling breakfast was left by Kel’s mother as she went to take care of Sally. 

“So, what’re we gonna do today?” Kel said through bites of food, to which Sunny shrugged. “Long weekend for once, so I guess we could take today as a chill day.”

“Not a bad idea… I needed to get something at the plaza first, after that I’m not sure.” 

“Then I’ll just meet up with you after and we can get something to eat, how’s that sound?” 

“Sounds nice.” Sunny said, a slight smile at the edge of his lips. 

“I’ll just go on ahead then, I had something to bring for Basil yesterday that I uh… may or may not have left here. See ya!” Kel said, quickly washing off his plate and putting it in the sink. Sunny took a bit more time to savor the meal, and made sure to thank Kel’s mother before taking off. 

Despite the thicker snow, there was less of a wind chill that day, so Sunny took a slower pace, taking in his old neighborhood. For some reason, it was only after leaving that he realized how much Faraway was actually home to him… how much being with his friends mattered to him. 

Well, distance makes the heart grow fonder.

The park was filled with several children and families, enjoying the fresh snow as it fell. If he wasn’t on a time limit, he might have stayed to people watch for a bit, but he had something important to do. 

The trip to the supermarket was quick and easy, box of chocolates, in and out.

Flowers were going to need a bit more work.

The case in his undershirt pocket felt heavy as he entered Fix-It. Quickly walking past the front of the store, he made his way to the back, where the flowers were. Being  _ the big day _ , there were several people also buying flowers, though they had far less of a plan.

A ring of yellow and pink roses, with a red rose in the center. 

He’d spent a few nights before trying to search for flowers with obscure, specific meanings, but for someone like Kel roses fit the bill a lot more. Even if he didn’t get the meaning of each, they were still beautiful.

In a sense, how Sunny viewed Kel. He didn’t always get him, but…

He was always there. 

Even if sometimes he was putting up a front of having it all together, (hell, usually he was), he was far more reliable than he seemed at a glance. 

Also, being the first face he saw after so many years alone probably helped.

Somehow though… Sunny felt that regardless of who it was, he’d feel similar. Kel had been one of the first real friends Sunny had ever had. Before that, he’d only ever really spoken to his family, mainly Mari. 

God damn he was one sentimental bastard. 

Paying for his gift (and stowing it out of sight in a bag), he made his way to start looking for Kel. He’d actually bothered to wear a hat today, a dull orange, so it wouldn’t be hard to pick him out in a thin crowd. Most people were  _ inside _ , rushing whenever they were outside for a date or just to get out of the cold. 

Two people searching will find each other sooner or later. 

* * *

It turned out Kel had wandered pretty far however, so it was definitely later rather than sooner. 

“Suuuuuuunny! Over here!” Kel yelled, pretending to be oblivious to the fact that Sunny has already seen him and was walking towards him. “Took you awhile, huh?”

“Not on purpose, anything stick out to you?”

“Nah, I was gonna let you decide.”

Sunny just shrugged, then motioned for Kel to follow him. As they moved closer to the destination he had in mind, he could feel his heartbeat grow harder and faster. He was actually going to do this. 

If it didn’t work out it, at least Kel would probably stop changing directly in front of him.

Not exactly a net positive.

Before he knew it, they were at the door.

“Huh, this looks like a couple’s diner.”

“Well it is that kind of day, most places probably do right now.” 

“Uh… yeah…” Kel muttered, “What a… coincidence.”

Sunny turned to the door, and silently prayed to whatever was still watching over him as he opened it and stepped inside. Very quickly, the duo passed by couples to get to a booth at the quieter end of the diner. 

“So… I guess we wait to get served then.” Kel muttered sheepishly, scratching at the back of his head. 

“Well, we can talk in the meantime.”

“What about?” 

“I guess we’ll just start with the day? That’s always easy.” Sunny shrugged.

“Well, I met Aubrey and Basil out in town, Basil was helping her with something, I don’t remember what... But when I told them you were getting something in Fix-It and wanted to see me later she just burst out laughing! Basil just kinda side eyed her and huffed a bit, but I’m still not sure why.” 

“Figures. She’ll probably tell you about it later.”

“She better! But yeah, what’d you get?”

“I went and people-watched a bit and picked up a gift for someone.”

“Oooooh! Can I see?” 

“Yeah,” Sunny said, pulling out the roses, “They’re for one of the most important people in my life.”

“Oooooh! You got flowers for Basil? That’s so nice of you! On Valentine’s Day too…”

“Erm… Kel. They’re… They’re for you.”

God did Sunny wish he had been a photographer in that moment. 

Kel’s eyes seemed to almost shrink, and his jaw dropped. Not intensely, not forced, just… limp. His brain slowly began to process what was actually happening, and his face very quickly turned about as red as the rose in the center of Sunny’s bouquet. 

And then he just… stared. 

Sunny felt the sweat trickle down the back of his neck as he held the roses out, even as he forced himself to keep his breathing steady.

_ Calm down, it’s not as scary as you think. _

“Sunny… I… I’m just…”

Kel did something Sunny didn’t expect.

He leaned himself over the table and kissed Sunny.

The roses fell onto the table with a soft thump.

“Wow… that was…” Kel began, leaning back against the booth with a sheepish grin.

“Nice.” Sunny finished, the deep red of his blush being far more obvious on him. He could feel the tingling even in his ears. Since when was Kel so warm? He’d always been a bright person, but Sunny never realized just how physically warm he was… 

Or maybe that was just his body kicking into overdrive. 

“Oh, let me just…” Kel said, pulling the flowers out of the center of the table. “I’ll have to get Basil to help take care of them.”

“Hey Kel?” 

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“I…” Kel said, the words seeming to get stuck on his tongue, “Man I suck at talking about it, but… I love you too Sunny.”

“Thanks for… always coming for me, even after I didn’t answer for so long.”

“Hey, I knew you were still in there! It had to work eventually.” 

“But nobody else put up with me that long.”

“Dude, uh… honey? Sunny? Whatever, just… It’s not ‘putting up with you’, that makes me think of something you don’t like. But… I  _ do  _ like you Sunny. Gotta say, I uh… wasn’t expecting this though.”

“Well it wouldn’t be any fun if you did, would it?”

“Yeah, that’s true. But hey, let’s save the rest for after our first date lunch!”

“Certainly a pleasant first date I’d say.”

“If it isn’t we can just call one of the Hobbeez runs a first date.”

“Well, I guess we have a plan for later then.”

“Yeah!”

Kel’s smiles were contagious. They always had been, but… when he was genuinely happy?

Sunny gave his best smile in years.

“So, does this mean you won’t complain about me changing in my own room?”

“Perhaps,” Sunny smiled, “We’ll see.”

They kept silent for the rest of the meal, each gathering their thoughts of what to say after. As per usual, Kel finished first, intermittently staring at Sunny or gazing around the small diner. Pretty soon, both had finished, and they were out, for once side by side and hand in hand rather than one after the other. Kel’s hand just felt  _ right _ , there was no other way to put it. Sunny lightly squeezed his partner’s hand, interlocking their fingers. Kel’s cheeks once again flared red, but he chuckled and squeezed back. 

“It’s weird, you know? For a while I was worried I might not ever see you again.” 

“I’m sorry about that Kel, I…” 

“You don’t have to keep apologizing, Sunny.” Kel said, “We’re… well, I’m just glad we didn’t lose both of you.”

Sunny turned his head to look at Kel. His right eye was on its way to recovery, but it was still undoubtedly weaker than his left. 

“I’m… I’m glad to be back. I really am.” 

“I think everyone agrees with that part.” Kel smiled, “Now let's get the heck home, it’s cold.” 

Sunny obliged. Fingers still locked together, the two made their way to Kel’s house. 

Back up in Kel’s room, the two flopped down side by side on his (still quite messy) bed. 

“Sorry I didn’t have anything for you Sunny, I wasn’t really expecting anything like this.”

“Well,” Sunny said, sliding his arm under his boyfriend’s back, “You did give the first kiss. Besides, the flowers weren’t the real gift.” he continued, as he pulled out the box of matching rings. 

“Not engagement rings or anything, but… I thought it would be nice, you know?”

“Sunny, you really didn’t have to get me  _ more _ gifts…”

“I wanted to, so I did.” he answered simply, before moving up to kiss Kel again. 

The chocolates lay forgotten, being replaced by something far sweeter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The order I settled on is Suntan, Sunburn, then Sunflower. Hoping to get through one a day during the next few days. Hope everyone enjoys!


	3. Aubrey Chapter: Flowers for a Fiery Young Woman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sunny bumps into the center of his affection while on the way to find her.

“Hey! It’s snowing again!” Kel said, shaking Sunny awake. Sunny kept limp, pretending to be asleep still. “Ah jeez... he must’ve been more tired than he looked.” 

After a rustle of clothes, Sunny opened his eyes and popped up, now very much awake. 

“Good morning, Kel.” Sunny yawned, sliding out of Hero’s bed.

“Hey.” Kel said, pulling a sweatshirt over his head.

“Strange to see you not wearing some kind of jersey.”

“Well, Aubrey  _ was _ right. It’s freezing out, and wearing something warmer would… probably be better for my arms.” 

Aubrey. 

Of course he’d mention her now…

“Hey Sunny, why’s your face red?” Kel questioned, walking over to him, “You feeling alright?”

“Huh? Y-Yeah, I think.”

“Hmmm.” Kel hummed, not very convinced, “Well anyways, you have plans today?”

“Yeah actually.”

“With who?”

A silence hung in the air, for a few moments.

“Ah.” Kel nodded. “Well, good luck!”

“That’s all you have to say?”

“Whaaaaaat, do you want me to tease you about it?” Kel grinned, flicking at Sunny’s shoulder, “I just didn’t think you’d still like her.”

“What do you mean ‘Still like her’?!” Sunny sputtered, “She’s a-” 

He was tricked.

“Oooooooh, Sunny’s in looooooooove!” Kel all but sang, “Don’t worry my friend, if you need someone to report you as missing within 24 hours, I’m your man.”

“I really hope that won’t be necessary.” Sunny sighed.

“I guess you like pink too then, huh?” Kel said, as the two left the room and went to the table for breakfast. 

“Black is still the superior color.”

“Uh-huh, and yet you have nothing wrong with Aubrey dyeing her black hair bright pink.”

“It… looks good on her.” Sunny muttered, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

“Well I won’t get in your way, I might have to ask someone out myself if my second bro has a date too.”

“Y-Yeah…” 

“Hey, chin up man! The worst she can say is no.”

“Or hit me with her bat.” Sunny deadpanned.

“Or… that.” Kel chuckled, “But honestly, if she wanted to do that she probably would have already.”

“Nothing like a love confession that’s like… four years late to do that.”

“Better late than never, man.” Kel shrugged, “You’re just worrying yourself now.”

“Well, reasonably so I’d think.”

“If you need rescuing just yell reaaaaaaaally loudly and I’ll probably hear it. Probably.”

“Not exactly a screamer.” Sunny sighed, missing Kel covering his mouth to suppress a fit of laughter.

“Well, then it falls to me to make sure you don’t baby out now!” Kel said, running out to the door and grabbing Sunny’s coat and gloves. 

After throwing on his armor against snow, Sunny was all but thrown out the door by Kel, who swung the door shut. 

With nowhere to flee to even if he did want to escape the natural outcome of a several year crush, Sunny walked off to the plaza.

It was odd to Sunny that Fix-It was one of, if not THE only place in Faraway with such a fine place for flowers. It’s selection matched quite a few of the shops Sunny had seen in the city, when he did actually go out. He had done some peering around when trying to think of flowers to get, but he had settled on four...

Lily of the Valley, Gladiolus, pink and lavender roses. 

He had Basil’s love of flowers to thank for most of the info, and after so much time spent looking into obscure flower meanings he just settled on what was already more familiar to him. He was always decent with the arrangements, having practice with some of Basil’s flowers, but… Well, no point in trying to make something he was going to jumble in a bag look absolutely perfect.

He stepped out, his breaths coming slow and forced. He’d planned this for weeks now, daydreamed about it for far, FAR longer. 

He just had to find Aubrey.

Without anywhere to be that day (since most of the Hooligans were occupied, according to a sobbing Mikhael), she would probably still be at home. 

He still knew the way by heart, having taken the route a few times in his mind while imaging the day. 

Of course, he didn’t expect to bump directly into Aubrey while lost in thought.

“Watch where you’re walking, asshole!” Aubrey yelled, before pausing for a few moments. “Sunny?”

“Ah…” Sunny muttered, picking himself up off the snowy sidewalk. “Hey… Aubrey.” 

“I heard something crunch in your bag.” she said, seemingly trying to quickly change the subject. 

“Yeah…” Sunny answered. For once he was glad it was cold out, so the bright red he could feel his face turning wouldn’t be out of place. 

“Jeez, how long have you been outside?” she asked, walking over to where he remained flopped on the ground. 

“I just left the plaza, so not that long.”

“What’re you going this far for then?”

“W-Well…” 

“Oh jeez you’re stuttering and everything,” she grumbled, grabbing his arm and pulling him up. “Come on, i’m not going to watch you try and freeze yourself to death.” 

Her hands were soft against his own as she dragged him to his feet, even through his (admittedly thin) gloves. 

“Hey? Earth to Sunny?” 

“Two planets in between.” he answered, finishing the phrase they’d formed.

“Good, you are in there still.” she sighed in relief, “Where are we even gonna go though? Basil’s place is probably closer, but I don’t know if him or Polly are there right now.” 

“Kel’s place?” 

“No. Shit, and the plaza’s far…” she groaned, hesitating for a few moments. “Fine, follow me. It’s not like you’re getting any warmer standing out here.” 

She was hesitating even more as she turned around, he could tell that much, but slowly she followed the path he was already planning on taking back to her house. 

Sunny hadn’t gone inside Aubrey’s house since last summer, even after what had happened she still hated the place. Not that he couldn’t understand, now passing by her mother who may as well have been paralyzed for all she seemed to care about her only child coming home with someone else in tow. Even now, he didn’t dare ask what had happened in the last four years. Granted, the place was cleaner since last time, probably because of Aubrey herself. 

Her room, however, had quite a few more pictures added. Most were printed copies of photos Basil and Sunny had taken during Sunny’s visits, as well as more with the hooligans. 

While he was lost in his observations, a blanket had been wrapped over his shoulders.

“Is something on your mind Sunny? You keep zoning out.” 

“Uh… Well…” 

“Look, it’s only the two of us here. You’ve seen… her. She might as well not even be here for all the good she does.”

“It’s…” Sunny began, the words stuck in his throat like barbs. Why was he so scared? This was all but the perfect time! She was right there, even with her hair still messed up from their tumble she looked beautiful, and-

“Look, if you don’t trust me I get it. I’d been worr-” 

“No! That’s… that’s not it at all.” Sunny said, “I promise.”

“God, you’re so damn confusing sometimes, you know that?” she sighed, dropping onto her bed. “Look, I… I know we’ve always been just… off together.”

“Aubrey… it’s just… I didn’t expect to bump into you, is all.”

“There got to be more to it than that, Sunny. You were walking out without looking at all.”

“I was just… thinking of something to say to someone, but what were you thinking of?”

“Huh?”   


“You weren’t looking either, you know.” 

“Hey, you have to answer my questions first!”

“Okay, just…” Sunny began, reaching into his bag, “Just promise you won’t hate me if I tell you.”

“Sunny, if I’m able to forgive you for-”

“I love you, Aubrey.” He said, pulling out the (slightly crumpled) flowers.

The two started at each other in silence, both of their faces growing closer to the color of Aubrey’s hair.

“You absolute fucking idiot.” she said, standing up and staring into his eyes.

“Uhh, sorry?”

“WHY ARE YOU APOLOGIZING?!”

“I DON’T KNOW! YOU’RE SCARY!”

“WHY DO YOU LOVE ME THEN?”

“Ah-” he choked, letting silence take the room for a few seconds. “I’ve uh… I’ve loved you for a long time. As long as I can even remember knowing you now.”

“Jeez, I just… wish you’d said something sooner.” Aubrey said, letting her shoulders slump. 

“As someone told me, better late than never.” he said, stepping forward and taking her soft hands into his own once again. 

Before he could though, Aubrey leaned forward and pressed her lips onto his, inadvertently draining any air in his lungs. They hung for a few moments, just feeling each other’s slow breaths, the warmth of each other’s grasp, just how lovely it felt to be standing that close to someone you cared about. 

After several minutes, they slowly pulled away. 

“God… that took way too long to get to.”

“I… I agree.” Sunny whispered, staring into his new lover’s eyes. 

“Well, I’m not waiting that long again.” she said, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him in for another.

And another. 

And another.

Enough to make Sunny lose count.

“You could have done something a lot better than bumping into me on the way to my house, you know.”

“Well, it’s not like I planned that part.”

“You were planning?” she smirked, even if her gaze remained soft. 

“I… I think you deserve the best you can get, and nothing less.”

“I’ll hold you to that, dork. Now, kiss me again.”

And they did. 

They could have stood there for hours and hours, simply basking in each other’s presence. 

That is, if they had eaten lunch already.

“Pizza’s a couple’s food, right?”

“Could be.” Aubrey said, “I uh… wouldn’t really know.”

“Well, before we go…” Sunny said, washing a patch of pink lipstick from his cheek, “I have something else." 

“Oh?” 

Sunny reached down for his bag, pulling out a small case. Inside were two necklaces, with two interlocking halves of a ring. 

“It’s… kind of like a mature friendship necklace in hindsight.” Sunny chuckled, “But… I guess we’ve been friends for a long time, haven’t we?” 

“God you’re a fucking dork, you know that?” she said, taking her half and putting it around her neck. Rose Gold looked just as fine on her as a normal pink. “On the upside, now you have something that isn’t black, white, or brown on you.”

“I guess so.” he answered.

They sat there for a few more moments, hand in hand. Even through their thicker winter clothes, just feeling her against him felt so… right. Like…

Like the two pieces of their necklaces that Aubrey had just connected.

Of course, the two pieces slipped apart as Aubrey let them go to give her new boyfriend one last kiss before they went for a first date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Sunflower Chapter is the next and final one. Make your "saving the best for last" jokes now.


	4. Basil Chapter: Flowers for a Future Botanist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sunny gets up early to prepare something for Basil. Things go... a little astray.

Sunny actually woke up before Kel, for once. He didn’t even have to open his eyes to tell, because Kel’s snores sounded from the other side of the room. The clock on the wall read 9:58. With a sigh, Sunny meandered himself out of Hero’s bed, getting dressed before going downstairs.

“Oh, good morning Sunny.” Kel’s mom said, standing over a sizzling pan of bacon. Sally was seated in her chair staring intently at the cook in the kitchen. 

“Need help?” Sunny offered, stepping over to the fridge. Kel’s mom shook her head, then went back to cooking. 

“You have a valentine, dear?” she asked as she brought over his portion of the food. 

“Well, kinda…” he chuckled, “Going to ask them today.”

“Eat up quickly, then! You don’t want to miss your chance!”

Sunny heeded her words, though was still unable to surpass the speed at which Kel wolfed down food on the daily, and was soon out the door.

There was still a chill in the air as he headed out, even as the sun reached from above the trees. Despite being only a bit past ten, there were already people headed out to crowd every place in the town. Thankfully, getting into Fix-It wasn’t an issue at all. 

Although, Sunny’s breath stuck in his throat once he realized who was already there.

Basil. 

Although, from the look of it, he was about ready to head out. His head peered over his shoulder, and he saw Sunny standing in the doorway to the garden section of the store. Sunny waved as he walked over.

“H-Hey Sunny.” Basil said, holding a single potted flower in the crook of his arm. A fresh white egret orchid…

“I… think you can guess why I’d be here today.”

“Yeah…” Basil chuckled, “W-Who’s the lucky receiver?” 

“Aaahhh…” Sunny muttered, flushing in the face. 

“Secret?” Basil questioned, to which Sunny quickly nodded. “Oooh, let me help you then!” Basil said, excitement spreading across his face at the idea of them. It had always been adorable to Sunny to see him so invested in something, especially since it never faded with time. Basil set down the orchid and all but ran over to grab Sunny’s arm and lead him through. 

“I asked the store manager to prepare a bit of a selection of flowers for this week. Quite a few of them are already gone, buuuuuuut,” he said, stopping in front of one of the aisles, “It’s hard to be specific without knowing who, but considering the two options I think I can narrow it down.”

“Come ooon, I’m not  _ that _ hopeless… probably.” Sunny chuckled, “What if there’s a third?”

“Nah, I’ve seen you.” Basil teased. He was always so much… happier when he was talking about plants. When they were young, Basil had insisted on taking a walk with Sunny through the forest to look at all the trees. As they went, he pointed all around them, at wild flowers, at grass, at leaves both on the ground and still on trees, he was a whirlwind of activity. 

Sunny loved it.

“Alright, so here,” Basil began, “Tulips! Some are in pretty unusual colors… I picked the yellow ones out myself.” 

“They look nice.” Sunny said, following Basil as he went on. 

“Carnations, different kinds of daisies… oooh, and these!” Basil said, pointing out a large pot of pink flowers. “Asters! If I remember correctly, they represent compassion and sensitivity. Besides, they match Aubrey’s hair pretty well too.” Sunny just nodded as Basil kept walking. “And these are peonies! I think they’re really pretty, and some people think they’re a good luck charm.”

“Alright, close your eyes then, I need to make sure you don’t know who they’re for.”

“Alright, alright.” Basil laughed, closing his eyes and turning away. Sunny made sure to be quick…

Yellow Tulips, Pink Asters, Pink Peonies, Yellow and Pink Roses, and one more thing that Basil had quickly stepped past… A sunflower. 

He could work on arranging it later.

“Alright, done.” Sunny said, “Thanks a ton Basil.”

“I hope it goes well! I’ll be out of here soon, but maybe I’ll see you in an hour or two? I just need to deliver this to my grandma and then I’ll be back, don’t know when you’re going on your date.”

“We’ll see, I guess.” Sunny waved, “See you.”

If Basil noticed how Sunny’s face was closer in color to the flowers he was surrounded by than his own hands, he didn’t think to mention it. 

Two hours to prepare.

Basil oddly never had much of a sweet tooth, he remembered as he stepped into OtherMart, but chocolate wouldn’t hurt. Maybe he’d prefer dark chocolate? Why hadn’t he asked this question before? A mix would have to do then. 

Maybe a pastry too? But what? There were so many options…

At least spending an hour panicking over choices Basil would more than likely not even care about helped to pass the time.

How does one cook a romantic meal?

Is spaghetti romantic enough? Basil didn’t like meat, but that wasn’t entirely necessary… Maybe a pesto pasta? Scratch that, no puns. Well... for today at least. 

Basil would probably have a fit if he knew how much he was worrying about this anyways…

Finally settling on a choice (fettuccine noodles with white sauce), he quickly walked out and towards Basil’s house. Polly would probably still be there, since Basil had started taking his trips to visit his grandmother alone. It wasn’t that far of a trip, after all.

He waited at the door for a few moments to steel himself up before knocking on the door. 

“Coming!” Polly yelled from somewhere inside, running over to the door to open it. “Hey Sunny, Basil isn’t here right now.”

“I know, I uh…” Sunny coughed, “Uh… I wanted to make him something.”

It was at this moment that Polly noticed the flowers poking out of the very full bag Sunny was carrying.

Words were not needed.

Sunny was never really a chef, but thankfully the simple meal was easy enough to prepare even for him… even if his stomach would never forgive him for microwaving a steak.

“I hope he likes it.” Polly sighed as they set the table for two. “I've gotta say though, I didn’t expect you to be so forgiving of Basil ah... “ she motioned towards his scarred eyelid, “Yeah.”

“Even if it didn’t heal, it wasn’t his fault. Besides, I’ve… liked him a long time, kinda hard to let that go.”

“Jeez, aren’t you a love bug?” she laughed, “But seriously, I know he was bummed out you wouldn’t be able to be here for his birthday, so I’m… really glad you’re doing this for him.” 

“Really?”

“Don’t let that bum you out though, just enjoy it. I’ll head out before he gets back so you two can have some… privacy.”

“Hey!” Sunny yelled, his entire face going crimson. 

“Toodles!” she said, going out the door.

It was quiet in the house now, the food remaining on the table. Basil would be back any moment, but… 

Sunny sighed to himself, worry setting in again. A billion thoughts quickly started to flash through his mind. What if something happens at the hospital? What if he gets hurt on the way home? What if-

His thoughts were interrupted by a blond young man stepping into the house.

“Polly, you left the door un… locked…” Basil started, before turning to see Sunny at the table. 

“Uh… S-So Basil…” Sunny choked out, struggling to remember the words he’d recited to himself a few days prior. 

“S-Sunny…” Basil whispered, barely audibly over the sound of his own breathing. 

“I… know it isn’t much, but-” Sunny began, interrupted by Basil bolting back towards the stairs. “Basil?”

Sunny followed, hearing a door slam shut and lock. The light was on in Basil’s room. He was met only with silence. When he put his hand on the door, he felt resistance… Basil was right on the other side. 

Not quite a picturesque confession.

“You’re there, right Basil?” Sunny said, crouching down at the door. He received no response. “If… If I scared you, I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d want to go out somewhere, and that you’d be happier here.”

Sunny slid his fingers under the door. 

“I don’t know what you’re feeling right now, but… I love you. Please don’t shut yourself away.”

“That’s rich coming from you.” Basil finally answered. He sounded so… hurt. Wounded. Like when he’d first seen him after leaving his house.

“I know it is…” Sunny sighed, “That doesn’t change how I feel though.”

“Why c-can’t you just leave me alone? Why do you h-have to care so much?”

“Why wouldn’t I Basil?”

Sunny question was answered only with silence. 

“I’ll wait right here, Basil.”

After several minutes, the presence at the other side of the door stood up, and the door unlocked. Sunny stood up, and slowly opened the door. 

Basil had moved to his bed, covering his entire body with his blankets. He was bunched up, judging from the shape sticking up from the sheets. Sunny sat down at the edge of the bed, placing his hand on where he guessed Basil’s shoulder was.

“I’m here for you, Basil.” Sunny said simply. In a flash of motion, the blanket was dragged out from under Sunny and tossed over his head. Basil was… right there. He could tell. He was so close…

“Why me, Sunny? After…”

“It’s not your fault, Basil. You were just trying to help.”

“Everyone else is so much better anyways, they like you, they’d love that you like them back, they… they deserve you. I don’t.” 

“This isn’t about ‘deserving’, Basil… and even if it was, of course you deserve to be happy.” 

“I’m struggling as is, Sunny. I don’t want to drag you down with me.”

“You aren’t going to drag me down, Basil. I want to be here.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“Basil.” Sunny said, pulling himself entirely under. He reached tentatively for Basil’s face, wiping away the tears he could barely see in the darkness.

“I just make everything worse… even right now I am.” 

“Basil, if it wasn’t for what you did I don’t know if I would have been able to live with what I did. Trying to pass off blame and pretend was all I had at the time. You weren’t the one that killed M-” Sunny said, choking on the words. 

“You’re crying too now.” Basil muttered, “It’s my fffffmmmmmmngh?!” 

Sunny wrapped Basil in his embrace, planting a kiss firmly on his mouth. 

“I’ll be right here, Basil.”

“Let’s… let’s eat first… okay?” Basil sniffed. Sunny nodded, sliding out of Basil’s bed and holding out his hand for him. 

They slowly went down the stairs, holding hands the way down. 

Thankfully, the noodles were still warm.

“Sorry for spoiling this.” Basil sighed, “Today’s supposed to be happy, right?”

“No, it doesn’t have to be.” Sunny replied, “Love isn’t always just being happy… it’s about support, being there for each other.”

“You were dropping hints all day, I just… didn’t want them to be true. 

“I miss spending time with you every day Basil, I mean it.”

“How do you even put up with hearing me ramble all the time? Everyone else hates it, even if Aubrey stopped I still get called a weirdo for liking plants, for being short, for-”

“And I like those things, Basil. I always have, and I probably always will.”

They ate slowly in silence for a few minutes, each gathering their thoughts.

“I feel like I’m just repeating myself now.” Basil sighed, “Can’t even bring myself down right.” 

Sunny just stood up and walked next to Basil.

“Sunny?”

How did they always do it? Sunny had seen it a few times in the romantic movies his mom watched…

Sunny pulled Basil up and stared into his eyes.

“Uh… S-Sunny?”

God, he wished he was a better kisser right now. 

“I’ll say it until I run out of breath, Basil. I love you. Even if you don’t want to accept it, I’m being one hundred percent honest with you.”

“I don’t d-” Basil began, being interrupted by Sunny kissing him again.

“Obviously you deserve it Basil, I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t.”

“You want me to say something like ‘You’re too perfect for me’ instead?”

“Maybe without the ‘for me’ part, but no… I just want you to be happy.” Sunny said, “It makes me happy too. All of it… including the botany. I still remember all the times you’d just… talk. Talk about things you loved, plants you loved, plants you wanted to raise, places you wanted to visit just to see the flowers… Basil, I don’t hate you. I never could. Please… Please let me love you.”

“But… you leave tomorrow… and I’ll be alone again.” Basil sniffed, finally returning Sunny’s hug.

“And I’ll be back as soon as I can be. I promised I wouldn’t abandon you… I’m holding myself to that.”

“Sunny?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you too.”

They sat in warm silence for a few moments, taking in each other’s presence. 

“Do you want your birthday present today or tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow… I have… t-today’s present right here.”

“Then I’ll stay here all day.”

“I’d like that. I… I need you. I hate that I do, I want you to be fr-…”

Basil was interrupted from putting himself down once again by a pair of lips in the way. It obviously wasn’t a permanent solution, that would take time, but…

Sometimes good in the short term helps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess I should have waited for his birthday to post it since I didn't get it done in time for one a day, huh? Oh well! It's done, and now I can move on to new things.


End file.
